This complaint was first sent in on 12-19-2007 to the PUC to there CPD.Complaint #cp2007121196.

I had filed this complaint for the simple fact that one of my accounts that I had (a barn) for years had been 13.71 per month than now they have tried to increase my bill in one month to around 200.00. My horse uses a stall during the winter but I am sure that she does not use any electricity. TXU & Oncor Energy now say that my horse is to be charged at a comercial rate and I do not understand why I can not use my horse as a tax write off (I think the IRS would not understand).

They are now using my 2001 usage history to charge me for august, september, and october of 2007.Does this not sound crazy to anyone!!!!

Great Comment! Would You Like to Convert It Into Review?

Terms of Service

On April 23, 2011, I called TXU, who had been my provider for over two years at the current place I resided.Before that, they provided at a previous address for me, for one year.

So a customer for over three years.I explained to the customer rep, whose name and badge number I do have, but won\'t reveal here for legal reasons, that I would be disconnecting service with them because of relocation, and my new residence area was not within their service contracted area. I gave them the exact date of disconnection, May 31, 2011. I called back over the course of the next three weeks, three times, both to confirm with them that they would need to disconnect my service at that address, AND to give them my new forwarding address so they could send me the final bill. So on June 20th, 2011, I received the final bill.

And it said that I was being billed from May 15 to JUNE 15 for _____Dollars/cents. Interestingly, my previous bill, for the previous month was $3.00 LESS than this current bill. It also said that it was an ACTUAL meter reading, on my bill. When I called and asked why I was being billed for the whole month, the first \"rep\" gave the following excuses:1.

you forgot to call us and tell us to disconnect2. It was hotter in June than in May3. We have no record of your phone calls to us.So I asked to speak with a supervisor, who basically repeated the same canned excuse mantra.So then I threatened lawsuit, investigation, the media...and was told, \"well, If you are going to threaten lawsuit, I have to put you through to corporate\". After a 45 minute wait, ( I am not exaggerating), I was finally put through to yet another \"rep\" whose name and badge number shall remain covert for the aforementioned reasons, and she spent another 30 minutes perusing her taped back logged conversations, to which she IN FACT FOUND THAT, YES, I DID CALL AND REQUEST DISCONNECTION ON APRIL 23...she then told me an adjusted bill would be forthcoming, and to pay that one!So that\'s when I asked her this question:Okay, so my May bill was ____Dollars/cents...and then my next bill was MORE MONEY than my previous bill...I was in the premises, using a washer/dryer, iron, hair dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator, computer, tv for the whole month PRIOR to my vacating....and then in MAY, I was only in the premises TWO WEEKS, and I no longer have that washer/dryer, refrigerator, electrical ANYTHING running, because the HOUSE IS EMPTY...it was foreclosed by the landlord, and NO ONE LIVES THERE...the realtor handling it SHUT OFF THE BREAKER BOX...I watched her do it...So my question is: HOW DOES A BILL THAT IS ONLY HALF A MONTH end up being the SAME AMOUNT AS A WHOLE MONTH\'S USAGE, when no one is living there, and there is no electricity being used?Her answer was:1.

Well, you have to go to the website and use that little Smartmeter calculator, and it will tell you why that is...2. Well, ...uh...uhhh....huh....you\'ll get an adjusted bill...uh...So...I just caught them with their britches down...CLEARLY, there is NO METER READING GOING ON AT ALL! It\'s just a GUESS-TI-MATE of what they THINK you ought to pay...Then, when my adjusted bill came...OY VEY! They charged me UP INTO JULY!!

Now mind you, it would be nice to be able to be two people at the same time, and get twice as much done, but since that is not a human possibility, apparently THIS energy company has declared that I CAN be two people at the same time! For, they have me occupying and using kilowatt hours of electricity at my former address, when I haven\'t lived there for over a month now...and not only that...THEY PRE BILLED MY USAGE CLEAR INTO JULY! So they charged me for usage in the FUTURE! My wouldn\'t it be nice if we all could arbitrarily pick some number out of the air, and attach it to some future service for which our own bank accounts become inflated with?

Speaking of gaseous...I called AGAIN, and was told by a rather nice person, ( shocking) that yes, they\'d made a mistake...and a FINAL FINAL ADJUSTED BILL would be forthcoming.So Today, one of their very important bill adjuster folks called, and told me the final final bill adjustment amount. It sounded more in line with what SHOULD have been on the original bill.So then, I asked her this question:\"How did you come to the usage amount on the original billing?\"\" well, it comes from your meter reading...\"\"okay, well, if my meter isn\'t running anymre, because the breakers are turned OFF, then how is it that the reading is nearly the same as the preceding month, when the breakers WERE ON?\"\"well, ma\'am, we don\'t do the reading, THAT\"S ONCOR\'S JOB, you\'ll have to call them...\" and she gave me their number, which was the \"you have reached the power outage hotline\" number...I was then switched over to the \"right\" department...I then talked with YET ANOTHER individual, who\'s name and badge number I have, but who\'s name and badge number I will not reveal for obvious reasons here, and I politely explained the whole enchilada to her...She became defensive, hostile, rude, and condescending, and those were her attributes...And I, being ever my mother\'s assertive daughter, pressed her further...And she began to argue...Here is a short list of her first set of lies:1. your meter is running because SOMEONE IS USING YOUR ELECTRICITY WHILE YOU ARE NO LONGER THERE2. YOU NEGLECTED TO TELL TXU TO SHUT OFF THE ELECTRICITY IN YOUR NAME3.

TXU FAILED TO TELL US YOU WERE DISCONNECTING4.THERE ARE PROBABLY REPAIRMEN IN THE RENTAL HOUSE YOU OCCUPIED THAT ARE USING THE ELECTRICITYWhen I had reached the point of stomach upset, I asked to speak with a supervisor.She, the \'rep\' became very rude, and said, \'YES MA\"AM!\" and then put me on hold for another 15 minutes...Then, she proceeded to come back on the phone, and declared,\"no supervisor can help you, because unfortunately, your account has been closed out by TXU, and so we just cannot help you...\"When I explained this wasn\'t a dispute about the bill per se, but rather a question about HOW DID I GET BILLED FOR ELECTRICITY WHEN I WAS NOT ON THE PREMISES, she retorted:\"NO ONE can help you...you will have to ask TXU that question...\"When I told her that I already had spoken with them, and they told me to call ONCOR, she said, \'we can\'t help you\".So, in other words, THEY CANNOT ANSWER THIS QUESTION without revealing that they don\'t read the meter, and they don\'t bill accurately...they just take a flying fig of a guess, throw a dart at a wheel, and bingo bango, THAT\"S WHAT YOU OWE!It is obvious from my experience with both of these so called companies, that they are doing their billing via fortune telling/tarot cards/ and divination...except, quite frankly, THAT would probably be more accurate.The 20 something smarty pants reps are woefully clueless, and the supervisors who herd them are even worse.

It would seem, that if they are making a \"minor\" error of say, $50 bucks/mo on 100K customer\'s bills a month, that\'s $5 million dollars a month profit...most people would just pay the bill and not blink...But, I wonder, how does a company get away with charging people for electricity in a house that they no longer even live in, and the breakers are OFF?I called the realtor today...the house is vacant...the breakers are still off...and have been for the last month...I would welcome a scholarly response from TXU and ONCOR EXECUTIVES...maybe I should ask KXAN news to look into this??hmmmm....

Reply

Report

Helpful?
Yes 0
No 0

Anonymous

YvettrMay 03, 2011#282097

Does anyone know how many times TXU will try to process a check before it's considered returned

Reply

Report

Helpful?
Yes 0
No 0

Anonymous

fustrated custumerSep 14, 2010#189865

txu did me the same way i received a bill of a little less than $300 for two different address one of wich was not mine and when i contacted them they said they would have to do an investigation.after a long wait and many calls they credid me the amount.

but what a coinsedence that after they backcharged those charges my electric bills have been higher and higher each time stating that my usage doubles every month. i asked txu to do a meter test in june. i was told to call back for the results in two weeks when i did i was told the technician from oncor said there was nothing wrong with my meter.

once i got tired of over paying with txu i switched providers but my usage still kept doubleling so i called oncor directly and asked them for a meter test because there is no way why i should be paying $450 in a one bedroom apartment oncor told me they hadnt tested my meter since oct of 1980 (note i was told by txu that oncor tested my meter in june 2010 so txu lied)the meter test results were the same \"your meter is working just fine\" explain to me then how i can work 50-60 hours a week , have my ac set at 79 and everything else except for refrigerator and alarm unpluged?by the way oncor will do nothing for you its not in their best interest for your meter to be working .

Reply

Report

Helpful?
Yes 0
No 0

Anonymous

John P.Jun 29, 2010#159009

All these companies are merely blatantly abusing customers. As no one but customers can effectively do something, I am recommending addressing any and all complaints to headquarters by letters. There is no doubt they will react when receiving thousands of complaining letters.

Let's be pro-active and send these letters not only to TXU but to all similar companies and institutions which are blatantly abusing in all impunity our rights as customers.

Reply

Report

Helpful?
Yes 0
No 0

Anonymous

John PJun 29, 2010#159008

All these companies are merely blatantly abusing customers. As no one but customers can effectively do something, I am recommending addressing any and all complaints to headquarters by letters. There is no doubt they will react when receiving thousands of complaining letters.

Let's be pro-active and send these letters not only to TXU but to all similar companies and institutions which are blatantly abusing in all impunity our rights as customers.

Reply

Report

Helpful?
Yes 0
No 0

Anonymous

CSR WIT REP OF ONCORFeb 03, 2010#111230

NEW ELECTRIC METERS ARE RIPPING PEOPLE OFF MORE THEN EVER!!! NEW SMART METER IS DOUBLE AND TRIPLING THE BILLS FOR MANY CX'S WITH ONCOR AND OTHER CENTRAL TEXAS CUSTOMERS!! ALL *** WILL BREAK LOOSE OHHH MAN

Reply

Report

Helpful?
Yes 1
No 0

Anonymous

Emmanuel & AngelaSep 16, 2008#35057

We recently have an issue with TXU and are very dissatisfied with their lack of customer service that they provided.We payed our electric bill online, however, the company has in their records that we payed the same amount twice so we called and told them that we thought that there might be a mistake here.

No good dead goes unpunished as they say and shortly after TXU issued us a returned check service fee (mind you we didn't pay by check, we paid online) and now wants us to not only pay the charge of $25 but also to resubmit our payment by cash or money order at any location that accepts the payment. We have spent countless time on the phone and no one seems to understand the situation after being bounced back and forth from dept. to dept. We now are thinking about switching over to another provider, perhaps one that will provide better customer service but we are going to be out $200 for the break of a contract.

I am looking for another electric company that is willing to pick up the $200 fee so that we are not out of money and switch to another company.

Is this wishful thinking?TXU should be ashamed of themselves.

Reply

Report

Helpful?
Yes 0
No 0

Anonymous

Chris in Dallas TXSep 04, 2008#32141

I forgot to add to the below......they stated that since they could not read my meter they are averaging our usage....bill is $370......in the past 6 months our bill has not been over $280....what are they averaging??

Reply

Report

Helpful?
Yes 1
No 0

Anonymous

Chris in DallasSep 04, 2008#32138

Our house was built in 1972...we have been there since 2002....and for the first time ever we got a letter stating that the meter reader could not gain access to our meter on the back of our house....we have NO animals....we do have a very small iron gate that is always open and a wood gate on the other side that does not even have a hanging lock....when I attempted to call TXU every call was sent to the Phillipines....I was then told that all TXU's #'s and inquiries are ALL redirected overseas...there are NO business location addresses or #'s to call here in Texas (what I am told by TXU reps overseas) Yet you go to there nice fuzzy website that promotes them as a community company and showing pics of AMERICANS having picnics yet where are they !!!! Send work overseas when people in "their community" need jobs. So who & where is this "meter reader"...if he exists he must be here in the Dallas area and have a boss or office.....????

Reply

Report

Helpful?
Yes 0
No 0

Anonymous

JillianSep 04, 2008#32131

TXU is a terrible company with the most HORRIBLE customer service dept.ever.

Originally they put someone elses meter number under my name & I refused to pay it...so they put it 'under investigation'...i would hear from them within 15 days...I called them back every 15 days for 6 mths and every time I called I had to explain the entire situation again to someone else that BARELY spoke english....the $500 of someone elses account was then sent to creditor...IT TOOK FOREVER to get corrected...well, recently...08/10..my house burned to the ground...TXU billed me from 8/11 to 8/21...NO HOUSE-NO METER-NO ELECTRICITY!!!!!Thay also say they read the meter on the 11th for the previous mth at 360 some odd dollars...the fire department had the meter until the 13th...I even faxed TXU a document stating that from the Fire Marshall...needless to say they took the final bill...the one where there was NO house out of my $300.00 deposit...account is now back 'under investigation'....TXU SUCKS!!!